NSC slams Bayan Muna over AFP missile deal remarks

The National Security Council (NSC) on Tuesday denounced Bayan Muna for what it described as “reckless and irresponsible” remarks following the group’s opposition to the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) acquisition of the Indian-made BrahMos missile system.

In a statement, NSC spokesperson Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said Bayan Muna’s opposition to the P21-billion BrahMos deal has shifted from defending Filipino interests to openly repeating and “amplifying the official propaganda of the People’s Republic of China.”

“Let’s call a spade a spade: Bayan Muna is not advocating for the national interest, it is now speaking for Beijing,” Malaya stressed, responding to remarks made by Bayan Muna Executive Vice President Carlos Zarate, who reportedly criticized the AFP’s acquisition of the BrahMos missile system from India.

Zarate called the government’s deal for BrahMos acquisition a “reckless venture” that could draw the Philippines into a dangerous “arms race” in the already tense Asia-Pacific region.

Malaya lambasted Zarate’s statement against the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), saying, “It is a repetition of China’s official propaganda line.”

“Their talking points are exactly the same as those of Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, who early this year demanded the removal of U.S. missile systems in the Philippines and accused our country of creating tensions and inciting confrontation,” said Malaya.

According to reports, Zarate described the BrahMos acquisition as a “waste of public funds” that should instead go toward housing, jobs, and social services. He further criticized the deal as “warmongering at the people’s expense” and argued that it “worsens tensions” without actually enhancing national security.

Malaya sees Zarate failed to recognize that military preparedness is a legitimate and responsible response to real threats, not an act of provocation.

“To call our missile acquisitions warmongering and waste–just like the People’s Republic of China–is to ignore the realities on the ground,” he said.

“Bayan Muna is practically demanding that we disarm in the face of mounting Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea. While Chinese ships swarm our waters, block our resupply missions, destroy our reefs, and harass our fisherfolk, Bayan Muna would have the Filipino people surrender our right to defend ourselves,” he added.

Malaya reminded Bayan Muna that the BrahMos missile purchase from India, along with the planned acquisition of the United States-made Typhon missile system “are defensive, strategic, and measured responses to real and escalating threats.”

“These are not weapons of offensive war, they are tools of deterrence. These strengthen our defense posture to protect our shores, assert our sovereign rights, and uphold regional stability based on international law,” he further pointed out.

Malaya argued that labeling the country’s defense efforts, such as missile acquisitions, as “militarism” or a “waste of public funds” is not only inaccurate but also disrespectful to the soldiers and sailors who risk their lives to defend the Philippines.

“To portray this as ‘militarism’ or ‘squandering public funds’ is an insult to every Filipino soldier and sailor defending our nation, and a dangerous attempt to weaken our resolve at a time when unity and strength are most needed,” he said.

Last week, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. confirmed the delivery of the second of three BrahMos missile batteries to the Philippines by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines and our security institutions will not take strategic guidance from a political group that is practically acting as a proxy for a foreign power,” Malaya noted.

“Public funds spent on defense are not ‘wasted’—they are investments in freedom, sovereignty, and peace. Defense is not the enemy, foreign aggression is,” he added.

Further, Malaya said he is not surprised by Bayan Muna’s criticisms aligning with the propaganda of the Communist Party of China (CPC), as both Bayan Muna and the CPC share Leftist ideologies.

“Bayan Muna’s national democratic ideology is based on Mao Tse Tung's principles of social analysis and political action,” he said.

“The Filipino people deserve to know: when Bayan Muna speaks, whose interests are they really defending? Because it’s certainly not ours,” he added.